Saturday, June 02, 2007

~Welcome June!~

"June is bursting out all over as summer finally arrives. The days are hot, the roses are in bloom and we feast on strawberries and cream."~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Joyful Simplicities for June

~Enjoy a frosty pitcher of lemonade.

~Take a trip down memory lane by catching lightening bugs or fireflies on the lawn at twilight.~One June weekend, buy a whole watermelon and keep it in the refrigerator for at least a day so that it gets ice-cold. Cut it in large pieces and sit on the porch, back deck or front stoop eating watermelon with family or friends, spitting out the seeds. Have a contest to see who can shoot the farthest.~Be on the lookout for a strawberry festival or hold your own. The Victorians called these homegrown events "Strawberry Regales," and the menu included every strawberry confection imaginable. Turn this into a potluck dessert party and invite friends to bring their favorite strawberry sensation.

~Celebrate the first day of summer on June 21 by camping out in the backyard. Pitch a ten, bring out the sleeping bags, build a campfire in the grill. Serve hot dogs and s'mores for dessert.~Hang a hammock. Lie in it.

~Paint your toenails red.

~June~

The robins and blackbirds awoke me at dawnOut in the wet orchard, beyond the green lawn,

For there they were holding a grand jubilee,And no one had wakened to hear it but me.

The sweet honeysuckles were sprinkled with dew;There were hundreds of spider-webs wet with it too,

And pussy-cat, out by the lilacs, I sawWas stopping and shaking the drops from her paw.

I dressed in the silence as still as a mouse,And groped down the stairway and out of the house.

There, dim in the dawning, the garden paths lay,Where yesterday evening we shouted at play.

By the borders of box-wood, and under the treesThere was nothing astir but the birds and the bees.

And if all the world had been made just for me,I thought, what a wonderful thing it would be.-K. Pyle.

What are your favorite things about June?

Photos by June Dudley and can be found at art.comSource: Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

40 comments:

I love your post and paintings! I must admit that my favorite thing about June is that school is out and the schedule is relaxed. I actually get a few moments to myself and since my husband is a teacher also, we are all home together for 2 months. YEY!!

I LOVE your poem. You poetry is always so beautiful and carefully chosen. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Favorite things about June - light until night, my birthday, early mornings which are cooler than the rest of the day, rainy afternoons (when we aren't having a drought), no scool, vacations to somewhere fun, time to read, read and read some more. Those are the things I love. Thanks for asking!

I loved your post. My favorite thing is eating watermelon outside and letting the juice run down your arms. Reminds me of my childhood because it didn't matter how sticky I got. Then I would jump in my little plastic pool and be all "clean"!

I like June very much - but best of all when I am near a large body of water - I love the sound of children playing in the lake, waves rolling unto the shore and the zip of a fishing line being cast far out into the water. June is my favorite month for strawberry shortcake and strawberry pie!

I believe that I was born in the most beautiful month of all - June. My favorite thing about June is the wild prairie rose that is always in bloom on my birthday in North Dakota. It is small and not easy to find, but it has a fragrance that is heavenly. If I were to be a flower, I would want to be a wild prairie rose.

What beautiful pictures and words! I feel so inspired to celebrate the month of June in new ways now! I love the poem, it's so descriptive! Some of my favorite things about June are getting the flower beds filled up with blooming things, the hummingbirds entertaining us at their feeders, fresh strawberries and sitting out on the porch or patio during the nice long evenings. Blessings,Janice

My favorite thing about June is that since school is done, we get to stay up later as a family enjoying the outdoors together. It used to really bother me when they were really little. I wanted "my" time to start at 8PM! But now that they are a little older, it is less of a need for me. I also love strawberries with fresh cream whipped up on top! Thank you for the lovely post.

My favorite thing about June are the flowers (especially in Washington State) So colorful...When I was young and when I was a school teacher my favorite thing about June was that, School's Out for Summer!

What lovely June ideas! They all just speak "summertime"My very favorite thing about June?I would have to say that it's my wedding anniversary. A reminder of the most wonderful decision I ever made...Great post Kelli!:)

I love everthing about June especially the one night the fireflies dance in the garden!I loved your poem particularly the the ~pussycat out by the lilacs~Happy summer gardening!Kelli I have been overwhelmed with the late Spring with so much to do in the garden all at once and travelling so I'm just catching up on visiting blogs. hugs Ng

I had lost the link to your blog toooooo! -sigh- I'm getting upset now. I've come across at least 3 blogs, which I've somehow lost the link to. -sigh- I recently began to use Gloogle Reader. But I don't want to blame it, yet.

It could be just me. In one way or the other.

But I am getting upset. And I think I'll have to make an entry about this issue. In case there are lots of ladies, whose blogs I used to visit often, and I've seemed to disappear. -sigh-

Lovely post, lovely art, and lovely poem! My favorite things about June are:1. Celebrating Erin and Elisabeth's birthday...they'll be 16 tomorrow!2. Long afternoons for family time and games out in the yard.3. Grilling out and picnics.4. Gardenias!5. The satisfaction of canning and putting up vegetables for my family!Hope you have a wonderful week and a wonderful June!Hugs,Amy

I love June! In Hokkaido here it is really spring, rather than summer - would you believe I still have a (very!) few daffodils and tulips blooming?

I wish we could say school was out here but this is Japan where the kids get 24 whole days for their summer holiday (and the teachers go on and on and ON about what a LOOOOONG time that is to be away from school so they load them up with homework...)

What I like about June

1) Gardening! It's great to be able to get out and do really big stuff as well as the very satisfying "instant garden" stuff with bedding plants.

2) My younger son's birthday!

3) Sunshine in the early mornings. (Not such long evenings here, though - still gets dark about 7pm. In England it would be about 10pm or later by now...)

Some of my favorite things to do in June are: spend time with my family outdoors weather it be playing on the swing set or playing a game or blowing bubbles or whatever. I like to go for walksSit outside and enjoy the weather and grab a good book Megans birthdayVacationsWe love to eat watermelon We love to BBQ We also like to go swimming...it just hasn't warmed up very much yet. I hope it does soon.

Welcome! My name is Kelli and I am originally from Ontario, Canada but now enjoy living in Texas with my three teenagers. Grace is 18, Emily is 17, and Benjamin is 15.
I'm a work-at-home mom and in my spare time I love to decorate, antique store treasure hunt, bake, and celebrate the four seasons.
Please join me as I share photos and stories, along with some recipes and favorite things thrown in for good measure!